“Surface Tension,” is an exhibition of new pastels by Mary Pritchard and limited edition digital inkjet prints by Larry Schroth. This is a “First Friday” event, with a reception to meet both Chestertown artists and view the new work from 5 to 8 p.m. The exhibition will be on view through Saturday, March 15, 2008.

Mary Pritchard finds her painting inspiration close to home. She is drawn to the play of light and shadow, geometric shapes, and the color and texture of the landscape of the Eastern Shore, particularly the working barns and outbuildings of rural Kent County, Maryland.

While striving to maintain a sense of place, she experiments with the medium of pastel to explore the interplay between surface and pigment. The pastels in "Surface Tension" represent a continuing exploration of the dynamic process of balancing the key tactile and visual qualities inherent in this deceptively simple medium. Veils of transparent color floating on the paper's surface are juxtaposed by bold forms of opaque pigment and areas of stroke and gesture. When she is not out exploring the farms and fields of the Eastern Shore, Pritchard paints in her Chestertown studio.

Larry Schroth has chosen to move farther afield to search for inspiration. His prints are based on digital images recorded by the artist during a November, 2007 trip to Greece. (More information about the trip and additional images will appear soon on the Gallery’s new blog.)

In a very literal sense, the “Kalambaka Wall” series of digital inkjet prints reflects the ravages of Mediterranean weather and culture over time. From a creative point of view, the selective isolation of lines, forms, colors and textures within the four “walls” of the camera’s viewfinder become wonderfully vigorous abstractions; in addition they also provide a rich, visual notebook of ideas that often find their way into this artist’s paintings at some point.

The artist says he “finds a certain nobility in the walls of Kalambaka.” For him “they represent the triumph of survival over the vagaries of nature and history. However battered, the walls of this ancient town and the culture of Greece still endure.“